Autopsy: Abduction victim hit by vehicle

Metairie, La.  A woman who was raped and killed after being abducted from a park died of injuries suffered from being hit by a vehicle, authorities said.

The nude body of Alessandra Adams, 51, of Metairie, was found May 23 face-down on a gravel construction road about a half-mile from Lafreniere Park, a popular gathering place in suburban New Orleans. She vanished while waiting for her son to finish jogging.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee said Wednesday that an autopsy determined that Adams died of "blunt force trauma from an automobile." He said it was unclear when the sexual assault took place.

A nationwide alert has been put out for Edmundo Cerda-Anima, a carpenter from Wichita, Kan., who had been living in Metairie for several months while repairing hurricane-damaged houses.